To Cook
Combine the chilli paste ingredients in a food processor or blender until it is a fine paste.
Stir fry the prawn heads and shells with 3 tbsp oil in a pan.
Add the ⅔ of spice paste, chicken stock, taucheo, assam paste and hot water.
Season with salt and sugar to taste.
Boil for 30 mins.
Cook the prawns in the gravy.
Add 3 tbsp oil to the pan and add the minced dried shrimps, frying until fragrant.
Add the remaining spice paste and bee hoon.
Season with salt to taste.
Add the beansprouts and fry until the chilli paste has coated the bee hoon.
Divide into the desired portions, ensuring that the gravy covers the noodles.
Top with the hard-boiled eggs, tau gua, prawns, chives and optional garnishings.
Noodles
Sichuan Seafood Noodles
To Prep
In a small bowl, combine the Chilli Sauce ingredients and mix well. Cover with a wrap and set aside.
To Cook
Heat the oil in a pot, sauté garlic until fragrant, then add in the chilli bean paste, pickled vegetables, soy sauce and sugar. Stir for 1-2 mins until fragrant.
Pour in the soup and bring to boil.
Add in the seafood and cook until done. When the seafood are almost done, add in the enoki mushrooms. Turn off the heat.
Boil water in another pot and cook the noodles according to packet instructions. When the noodles are almost done, add in the chrysanthemum garlands. When everything is cooked, remove and drain well.
To Serve
Place noodles into serving bowl and arrange the vegetables and seafood on top. Ladle in the soup and serve with chilli sauce added to the bowl or at the side.
Japanese New Year’s Eve Noodles (Toshikoshi Soba)
For Soup Base
Soak the kombu sheet in water overnight or for as long as possible before starting to cook to make the dashi.
In a medium saucepan, add the soaked kombu and water and slowly bring to a boil.
Remove the kombu when the dashi has almost begun to boil, reduce the dashi to a simmer and then add the bonito flakes.
Continue to cook for another 10 mins before straining out the bonito flakes.
Return the dashi to the saucepan and add the remainder of the base ingredients. Return the dashi to a simmer before removing it from the heat.
For The Toppings
In boiling water, cook the soba noodles according to the package instructions.
When the noodles have cooked, drain them and rinse them under cold water.
After this, re-hydrate the dried wakame seaweed, slice the green onions and then slice the fish cakes.
To Serve
Place a serving of the soba noodles in to a bowl before pouring over the hot soup and then topping with the fish cakes, seaweed, green onions and Japanese seven spice.
Tom Yum Noodle Soup
To Begin
Put in coriander roots, shallots and whole black peppercorns into pork stock and bring to a boil. Then, allow to simmer for 30 mins.
Meanwhile, bring a pot of water (around 2l) to boil. While waiting, heat a pan or saucepot with oil over medium high flame. Fry the wonton wrappers until lightly browned and crisp. Set aside.
Cook pork balls in boiling water for 3-4 mins until cooked. Drain and set aside. Repeat with fish balls and minced pork. In the same boiling water, cook your noodles. Drain and portion out into individual serving bowls. Top the noodles with equal servings of pork balls, fish balls and minced pork.
To prepare the tom yum soup by individual serving, place all condiments into a bowl. Stir to mix well. Ladle 1 cup of hot soup base and mix until well combined. Pour into one individual noodle bowl. Garnish with some coriander, spring onions, fried crushed garlic and wonton wrappers. Serve.
Repeat Step 4 with remaining individual noodle bowls.
Stir Fried Cabbage with Dried Shrimps and Glass Noodles
To Cook
Season beaten eggs with a pinch of salt. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a wok over medium heat. Scramble eggs and dish out. Set aside.
Heat another 2 tbsp oil. Sauté dried shrimps until fragrant. Place in garlic, dried red chillies and spring onions. Sauté until aromatic. Toss in cabbage and fry over high heat until softened.
Put in glass noodles, cooked eggs, wine, sesame oil, white pepper and soy sauce. Stir fry and mix well. Season with salt to taste and continue to stir fry for 1 min. Serve.
Sichuan Cold Noodles
To Begin
Cook noodles until al dente according to packaging instructions. Drain and immerse in iced cold water for 1 min until the noodles are cool to touch. Drain and transfer noodles to a bowl. Mix in oil until well combined and cover with cling wrap. Leave to chill in the refrigerator for 1 hr before serving.
Prepare garlic ginger water by mixing garlic, ginger and water in a bowl. Set aside for 1 hr. Discard garlic and ginger before using.
Prepare sauce by mixing all sauce ingredients in a bowl except peppercorn powder. Stir in garlic ginger water and mix until well combined.
Divide cold noodles and carrots into four individual bowls. Pour a quarter of the sauce into each bowl and sprinkle with ¼ tsp of peppercorn powder into each bowl. Add more chilli oil according to preference and garnish with spring onions. Serve immediately.
Sichuan Hot and Sour Sweet Potato Noodles (Suan La Fen)
To Cook
Heat oil in a pan over medium heat and sauté garlic until fragrant.
Prepare two individual serving bowls with all seasoning ingredients and split the garlic oil between both bowls.
Cook sweet potato noodles according to packaging instructions. Drain and divide the noodles equally between both individual serving bowls. Top with roasted peanuts, spring onions, coriander and pickled vegetables. Serve.
Korean Beef Japchae
To Begin
Add noodles to boiling water and cook for 8 mins. Rinse with cold water and drain. Set aside.
In a bowl, combine marinade ingredients then add beef and mix well. Leave to marinate in the fridge.
Heat 1 tbsp oil in a non-stick pan and stir-fry the vegetables with beef, until beef is cooked. Remove from heat, set aside.
Heat another 1 tbsp oil and stir-fry noodles with soy sauce, sugar and sesame oil for 2-3 mins.
Add vegetables and beef. Serve hot.
Homemade Korean Knife Cut Noodles (Kalguksu)
To Make
Place flour, salt, oil and water into a mixing bowl and mix until dough forms. Sprinkle the dough generously with flour and knead the dough until smooth. Add more flour or water when necessary. Cover with cling wrap and allow to rest for at least 30 mins or up to overnight.
Knead the dough for 2 mins before use. Roll out the dough into a thin sheet then fold the dough over several times into layers.
Cut the dough into roughly ½ cm thick. Dust them with more flour and unfold the noodles into separate strands.
Seafood Korean Knife Cut Noodles (Haemul Kalguksu)
To Make
Place water, dried anchovies and kelp in a sauce pot and bring to a boil. At the same time, bring another small pot of water to boil to cook the noodles. Simmer the broth for 15 mins. Boil the noodles until cooked, about 2-3 mins. Drain the noodles and run through with cold water. Set aside.
Discard dried anchovies and kelp from the broth. Season with soy sauce and salt and bring to a boil. Put in shiitake mushrooms, zucchini and carrots and cook for 2 mins. Add pipis and prawns and boil until cooked through, about 1-2 mins.
Add cooked noodles into the broth and gently stir. Boil for 1 min to warm up the noodles.
Transfer noodles to individual bowls and serve with spring onions.
Northern Vietnam Spring Rolls (Nem Ran)
To Prep
Combine all the ingredients for the dipping sauce and mix until the sugar has dissolved.
Set it aside for serving later.
To Cook
Combine the minced pork and shrimp in a mixing bowl.
Season with salt, pepper and sugar before adding the shallots and garlic.
Next, add the shredded vegetables, mushrooms, and glass noodles and mix well.
Mix in the egg white and let the spring roll filling sit for 10 mins.
Soften the rice paper wrapper with a damp cloth. Then, scoop a spoonful of the filling on one edge of the rice paper wrapper.
Roll up the wrapper like you would roll a burrito but with the ends of the wrapper tucked in.
Heat up some oil in a pan over medium heat. Fry the spring rolls until they are golden brown.
Remove the excess oil from the cooked spring rolls using a paper towel.
Serve the spring tolls hot with the dipping sauce.
Mung Bean Vermicelli Salad with Chicken (Yum Woon Sen)
To Prep
For the dressing, create a paste in a mortar and pestle by pounding the garlic, chillies and coriander root.
Add the palm sugar and lightly grind until dissolved.
Add the fish sauce and lime juice and pound until well combined.
Set aside.
To Cook
Cook the minced chicken in a small saucepan of boiling water for 3 mins or until cooked through. Drain and set aside.
Place the vermicelli in a heatproof bowl, then cover with boiling water and leave to soak for 2 mins. Drain well and place in a mixing bowl.
Add the dressing, chicken and dried shrimp and mix well, then add the spring onion, coriander, shallot and peanuts and combine.
Use the chilli and extra coriander as garnish on top and serve.